Northampton Saints boss Jim Mallinder has confirmed that both Soane Tonga'uiha and Brian Mujati have received offers from overseas.

The props have been heavily linked with a summer switch to Racing Metro with reports in The Times on Tuesday claiming that the deals are close to completion. And Mallinder has confirmed that the pair are in demand and that the Saints will struggle to match the offers tabled to the two props.

"I've had a couple of conversations with both of our props and they have informed me that they have received some pretty substantial offers from overseas," Mallinder told the Northampton Chronicle & Echo. "We can't really do anything to compete unless we only have about five players in our squad."

And Mallinder is confident that he will have no shortage of offers from players looking to fill the void left by Mujati and Tonga'uiha, if the pair decide to move on. Mallinder added: "They've done brilliantly for us, those two props. A lot of credit to Dorian West and the rest of the players for making them better players. They didn't just become the players they are now.

"If teams come in from France, who've got a bottomless pit and want to buy a front row, that's what they're doing. It's a shame, but for us it's not the end of the world. There are some cracking players out there, we've still got a cracking squad moving forward, who'll be here next year.

"Which props wouldn't want to be either side of Dylan Hartley? There are plenty of players who will want to come, and we'll move forward and get stronger."

Current tight-head Paul Doran-Jones has been linked with a move away from the Saints with both Wasps and Harlequins reportedly keen on his services but Mallinder claims that "he's very happy here".